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Balance is often
referred to as our "sixth sense" and goes unnoticed by people with healthy
vestibular systems. Its only when things go wrong you realise how important
it actually is. Our sense of balance is created by a complex interaction
of the following: The inner ears (Labyrinth) which monitor the directions of motion such as turning, forward-backward, up-down or side-side motions. Eyes which observe the directions of motion as well as where the body is in space. Skin especially skin receptors in the feet sense which part of the body is touching the ground. Muscle and Joint sensory receptors these report which parts of the body are moving. CNS (brain and spinal cord) processes the above information and makes sense out of it all.What can go wrong? Research suggests that about 60% of dizziness is of Labyrinthe origin. It is important to note that the term dizziness can be used to describe a lot of different sensations however. Lightheadiness or typical dizziness can be caused by a range of problems including: systemic illnesses, change in blood pressure, cervical (neck) dizziness and others. Inner ear dizziness, as we have both found out, is quite frankly, in a league of its own! The symptoms section will describe this in more detail but vertigo or motion is almost always involved in some form. There are a number of inner ear disorders which can cause dizziness: BPPV (Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo) brief, sudden episodes of vertigo and/or nausea with head movements. Usually episodic though BPPV can cause Vestibular damage which can result in similar symptoms to uncompensated Labyrinthitis. http://www.vestibular.org/bppv.html
http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/specific-disorders/meniere92s-disease.php
Labyrinth
trauma/concussion caused by head injury. See link
for Labyrinthitis
as Labyrinth trauma is basically inner ear dysfunction.
Otoxicity
certain medications/antibiotics can cause damage to the inner ear.
http://www.vestibular.org/ototox.html
Acoustic Neuroma
- a benign tumor, which lies
in the vestibular portion of the eighth cranial nerve. Affects balance
but mainly hearing.
http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/specific-disorders/acoustic-neuroma.php
Perilymph Fistula
-
a tear or defect in one or both
of the small, thin membranes between the middle and inner ears.
http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disorders/specific-disorders/perilymph-fistula.php
Labyrinthitis
or Vestibular Neuritis
infections of the Labyrinth or Vestibular Nerve can cause permanent
damage.
http://www.vestibular.org/labyrin.html
If you have been diagnosed with Labyrinthitis, it will
have probably started in a particular way see symptoms.
It is most commonly caused by a virus (though can also be bacterial) which
can either inflame the Labyrinth or cause damage to a part(s) of it. This
damage basically causes the affected ear to "fire" neurons at a different
rate to the other ear.
Most patients who have not recovered within the 8 week
period, have Labyrinth damage. This damage is permanent as the inner ear
has little ability to repair itself. However, the brain or CNS has an
amazing ability to adapt and compensate for the injury and if this takes
place successfully, can result in the patient leading a symptom free life.
For many Vestibular patients like us, the brain needs help to compensate
via Vestibular Rehabilitation Therapy (VRT).
At this point (beyond the 8 week mark) Labyrinthitis has
gone and it is the residuals of the infection - the damage - instead which
remains - creating inner ear dysfunction. Copyright (c) 2006 Labyrinthitis.org.uk; All Rights Reserved
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